5 Technologies That Could End Paralysis – The Bra-Santos Dumont / Walk Again Project

If you watched the opening kick of the 2014 World Cup you might have noticed something unusual – the kick was made by a paraplegic. The “ Bra-Santos Dumont” exoskeleton is the culmination of decades of research done by the Walk Again Project, spearheaded by Duke University professor Dr. Miguel Nicolelis, who in 2013 developed an algorithm with his team that allowed rhesus monkeys to control two virtual arms. The insights from this research became the starting point for the Bra-Santos Dumont exoskeleton. The exoskeleton translates brainwave signals from a cap attached to the wearer's head into leg movement and can also provide tactile feedback so that the wearer can get a sense of what type of surface they're walking on.